By M. Rajanikanth | Bureau Chief
Hyderabad: With the 10th state Formation Day celebrations of Telangana around the corner, a row has erupted over the state government’s move to adopt a new state emblem, with the main Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) threatening to launch a movement.
However, the state government is learnt to have put the plans on hold in view of widespread protests across the state including the one led by the BRS working president KT Rama Rao at Charminar in Hyderabad on Thursday.
The Congress government originally planned to unveil the new emblem on state formation day on June 2, stating the reason that the present emblem carrying Kakatiya Kala Thoranam (welcome arch of the Kakatiyas) and Charminar reflect feudalism and autocratic rule and CM Revanth Reddy wants the new emblem to reflect the decades-long struggle for Telangana state.
The emblem was already redesigned by artist Rudra Rajesham and CM Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka have given final touches to the new emblem to release it officially on June 2.
The chief minister has roped in Oscar-winning music composer MM Keeravani to compose music for the state song which will also be released on June 2.
The government adopted Ande Sri’s ‘Jaya Jaya He Telangana’ as the state anthem.
CM Reddy is scheduled to hold a meeting with leaders of all political parties to brief them on the new logo and state song.
However, the BRS is likely to stay away from the meeting and the party has threatened to launch a movement if the government changes the emblem.
Day after BRS leaders led by former MP B. Vinod Kumar staged a protest at Kakatiya Thoranam in Warangal, party Working President KT Rama Rao also staged a similar demonstration at Charminar on Thursday.
“World over, Charminar has been the icon/symbol of Hyderabad for centuries. When one thinks of Hyderabad, they cannot but think of Charminar which has all the qualities of a UNESCO world heritage site. Now the Congress government wants to remove the iconic Charminar from the state logo citing frivolous reasons. What a shame,” Rama Rao posted on X.
KTR also stated that the protest at Kakatiya Kala Thoranam was just the beginning and BRS would initiate legal proceedings to stop the government’s plans to remove them from the state emblem. He questioned the government’s decision saying people have not given power to Congress to change the emblem.
“Kakatiya Kala Thoranam and Charminar are not the signs of imperialism. They are symbols of development, people’s welfare and historical and archaeological significance of the region,” he said.
Rama Rao also argued that a change of state emblem would require the approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Vinod Kumar also appealed to AICC leader Sonia Gandhi to ask CM Reddy to desist from it as this would set a bad precedent.
The BRS leader also accused CM Revanth Reddy of trying to destroy the history of Telangana saying he was a strong votary of a combined state.
“He was for Samaikya Andhra Pradesh. He never raised the Jai Telangana slogan either during the statehood movement or after the state’s formation,” the BRS leader said.
Disagreeing with Revanth Reddy that Kakatiya Kala Thoranam is a symbol of imperialism, he explained that Kakatiya rulers were from the backward communities of the society and they built ‘thrikuta’ temples and constructed tanks and lakes including the chain-link tank system for meeting the drinking water and irrigation needs.
He pointed out that this system is serving its purpose even 800 years after their rule.
Vinod Kumar said the Chief Minister should focus on fulfilling the long list of pre-poll promises instead of unproductive actions such as changing the state emblem.
The new emblem will replace the one adopted in 2014 when Telangana came into being as the 29th state.
The Congress government, which came to power in December 2023, decided to replace the existing emblem which depicts Kakatiya Kala Thoranam and Charminar, the symbols of Kakatiya and Qutb Shahi dynasties.
Change of emblem was one of the key decisions taken by the Congress government, reversing the decisions of the previous BRS government. It replaced ‘TS’ with ‘TG’ as the state abbreviation. The earlier BRS government had adopted ‘TS’ as the abbreviation.
The new government also decided to change Telangana Talli statue to reflect the sentiments of Telangana people. The state Congress is of the view that the present Telangana Talli looks like the ‘mother of landlords’ and not the mother of real Telangana.
AIMIM also in a post on ‘X’ urged the state government to retain Charminar in Telangana’s state emblem as it is a symbol of the state’s long history of composite culture.
“It is hoped that the same will be retained. However, we should also ensure that Charminar’s surrounding areas also see progress,” the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party said in the post. The party also asked the state government to complete the development works at Charminar at the earliest.
